How might climate change affect tropical storms?

• In the tropics, where tropical storms develop, average temperatures have increased by 0.7-0.8°C in the last 100 years
• In a warmer world, tropical storms may be affected by climate change
• Distribution:

  Over recent decades, sea surface temperatures have increased by 0.25-0.5°C. In 2020, scientists concluded that climate change has changed thw global distribution of tropical cyclones over the last 40 years, but the annual changes are small
• Distribution:

  Scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions and aerosols are largely responsible for the rise of sea surface temperatures
• Frequency:

  There is little evidence that the number of storms is increasing. Increases in some regions seem to be balanced by decreases in others. The intergovernmental Panel for climate change (IPCC) cautiously concludes that the frequency of tropical storms will decrease in the future but there is expected to be an increase in the number of very intense storms
• Intensity:

  There is increasing evidence that the intensity of tropical storms has increased in recent years and that this is a result of climate change. Warmer, moist rising air provides extra energy for tropical storm formation. However, some scientists are cautious in identifying a casual relationship until more data is available